Illegal Immigration – What to Do, What to Do

So, this week marks one year since we had all the marches to stop that horrible Congress from doing anything to fix our immigration mess. If you will remember, last year this time saw thousands of illegal immigrants marching in the streets, waving Mexican flags, and demanding their rights as . . . illegal immigrants.

What would those rights be? How about free education for the kiddies at public schools, free medical care at public hospitals, welfare and food stamps, and due process in our courts. Add in the right to vote in some locales – that’s right, vote. In the last election, there were several instances where illegal immigrants voted. Think this is wrong? OK, research it for yourself. Google “illegal immigrants voting” and see what hits you get. When I did it, the third link was to a site about giving non-citizens the right to vote in New York City. There was another link that told of Democrat activists going to last years marches and getting illegals to fill out voter registration cards.

It seems that, if you are in this country – in whatever manner you got here, many idiots and liberals (I use those terms interchangeably) think – excuse me, feel – that everyone has the rights to whatever they want.
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Here comes that Side Rant

Have you noticed that liberals and other morons always “feel?” It is never “I think . . . “, it is always “I feel . . .” What is that all about? Feelings are more important than thought? Or, there is no thought involved, only feelings.

More of these people should try to use their brains once in a while. I know it is hard, and will probably hurt, but a little grasp of reality is necessary every so often.

You know the old saying – “If you are not liberal when you are young, you have no heart. If you are not conservative when you are older, you have no brain.”
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Illegal immigrants are criminals. Period. The very fact that they came into this country illegally makes them criminals. Do all illegals come here and commit more crimes? No, but many do. Being illegal immigrants makes them more prone to committing other crimes – like driving without a valid license or insurance or identity theft. You may not think these are serious offenses until your get in an accident with someone like this, and you end up paying for everything, or you have your identity stolen so some illegal can have a fake social security card.

Illegal immigrants show no respect for this country. They show that disrespect by coming here illegally. They are likely not paying taxes, and they are using the resources of this country and giving nothing back. Oh, you say they are giving back by working? If that is true, why is the 2nd biggest source of cash in Mexico from monies sent back by illegals? (the biggest source being drug money). And why are wages for blue collar jobs artifically depressed? It may be because employers know they can hire illegals at reduced pay.

Illegal immigrants are unlikely to try to assimilate into our culture. Because they are here illegally, they try not to be noticed, and the best way to do that is to disappear into neighborhoods filled with their fellow countrymen, where assimilation is not an issue.

I know a lot of you idiots, liberals and illegals who may be reading this are yelling about my racist rant. Well, call me names all you want, but this is not a racist attitude. I don’t care what race you are, or what country you are from. If you follow the law and come here legally, I will welcome you and wish you well as a new American. Choose to ignore the law and come here illegally, and the only right you have is to a bus ticket to the nearest border.

Came here from or through Mexico? You get a free bus ride to the border, and you are left to the tender mercies of the Mexican officials. That is your only right. No due process, no free medical care, no nothing. You get jailed (you broke the law!!) until the bus is ready to leave.

What do we do about the masses of illegals already living and working here? Easy. Let all law enforcement personnel – local, state and federal – enforce the laws. When they catch a person who is here illegally, put them in jail and then on the daily bus to the border. What to do about their families, especially the young kids who were born here and are citizens? They all go back to0. When the kids are of age (18), they can come back here legally (assuming they can prove citizenship).

What about a guest worker program? Good idea. Let the companies and industries who want to hire these people pay to set up guest worker processing centers in the various countries whose masses of citizens would rather come here than stay at home. Let the guest worker come for 6 or maybe 8 months to work, and then make them go back home for at least 1 month before coming back. If they want to stay here permanently, they have go through the legal process to do so – from their country, NOT from here. No guest worker should get to stay here permanently for any reason.

Make the companies who hire them responsible for them. If you bring 10 workers here, 10 have to leave after their time is up. Lose track of any of them and you pay through the nose.

I would also strongly recommend that we tag all guest workers with chips that identify them and keep track of them. A GPS tracker that could be activated if the worker takes a hike. And let the hiring companies pay for that too. I know this will be unpopular with the "feeling" liberals, but so what. If tough measures are necessary to protect this country, then so be it.

Sound harsh? OK. Why should it be easy to come here? If you do not like the idea of being a guest worker, stay at home.

And, to the Mexican government – get a grip, while ya? What does it say about a country when most of its citizens want to leave? We owe you nothing, so take care of your own citizens.

I thought maybe it would be a good idea to make Mexico the 51st state, but who wants it? It took about two seconds to nix that idea.

So, in summary – here is the correct immigration policy as I see it:

• Do what it takes to close the borders. Build fences, put the military on guard, whatever it takes to curb the inflow. We cannot stop it, but I bet we can slow it down a great deal.
• When we catch an illegal immigrant, send them back to wherever they came from – a bus to Mexico, a ship to China, wherever. No court date, no due process, no nothing. These people are criminals, and the penalty for their actions should be to be thrown out, and by the cheapest means possible. And, charge their country fees for everything we do for their citizens. Those countries won't pay, but we can sure reduce the aid we send them by the amount we spend to get rid of their citizens. Maybe if it costs Mexico to let their citizens leave, they will do something about it.
• Start a guest worker program, but no one here illegally gets to sign up. The only people who get to sign up are those who do it in their own country.
  

Got a problem with any of this? Rant back at me.

Election Now? Please!

Presidential Election Race – Now?

So, got your favorite all picked for the next Presidential election? Going for McClain or Giuliani or Romney or maybe Fred Thompson (if he runs) or Newt Gingrich (if he runs)?

Or maybe your tastes run to Hilary or Barak or whoever among the many Democrat contenders there are now – the number changes all the time and I can’t keep track.

Getting all excited and ready to volunteer your time locally to get your man (or woman) elected?

Isn’t the next presidential election in November of 2008? And is it not March of 2007?

What the hell? Didn’t the last election just end, and now it is time to start a new one?

The first primaries are not for 10 months!! The election is not for 20 months!!

And the candidates are already snapping at each other. The “politics of personal destruction” are already at play. For those of you who don’t know, the “politics of personal destruction” is anything bad said about a Clinton (and not George Clinton of Parliament Funkadelic – my favorite Clinton). Anything bad they say about someone is OK, but anything bad said about them is “personal destruction” of “a vast right-wing conspiracy.”

Barak Obama is not black enough! What? If Slick Willie is black enough to be our “first black President,” Obama sure is.

Hilary is a bitch! Er, hmm, I mean one of the Clinton’s long time Hollywood buddies says she is a liar and a bitch (Geffin did not actually call her a bitch, I am paraphrasing).

Romney is a Mormon! What a weirdo! Last time I checked, we could be any religion we want in this country, even weirdo ones that allow you multiple wives. Only kidding, folks. Nothing wrong with being Mormon, some of my best friends are Mormon.

Giuliani is Italian, and he’s been married more than once! Oh, the shock, the horror! Seems to me, with a divorce rate at or near 50%, it was only a matter of time before we got a candidate with more than one marriage in his history. And, frankly, I would rather have a divorced President than one who is married only once, but likes to get his jollies with sweet young things wherever and whenever he can – even if he has to force her – and then has to lie about it. Of course, if I had a harridan like that bitch Hilary for a wife – I would mess around too – then kill myself before going home to that. Talk about horrors. Yikes!

So, the carnival has started, the merry-go-round is spinning, and all the news that’s fit to print or say or air or whatever will now be filled with very boring stuff.

Gee, I can hardly wait.

It’s Two For One Day!

Two rants for the price of one – and, as these are free rants, yours for the taking, today’s double rant is a really great deal!

Rant #1 – The US Attorney Firings

First of all, who cares? I mean, really. Does this story have any effect on you and your life at all? Does anyone in Dubuque care? Or Dallas? Or anywhere else?

As far as I can tell, the only people who care about this whole kerfuffle (Ooo!, great word – see below) are national politicians, reporters and other media maggots, the guys who got fired and the guys who may get the jobs.

The liberals/Democrat politicians see this as another opportunity to stick it to good ole W – and anything they can do to make his life more difficult, they do. The media see this as another opportunity to stick it to good ole W – and anything they can do to make his life more difficult, they do. Hmmm, see any similarity?

The media also sees it as a good way to fill up air time and newspaper inches. Here today, wrapping garbage tomorrow. Or, is it spewing garbage today and wrapping garbage tomorrow?

So, anyway. Some guys who work at the pleasure of the President get fired because he does not like the work they are doing, or because they are not doing what they are told. How is that any different from any regular job in the US today? Anyone of us – unless we have an employment contract – can be fired for cause at any time. But we do not have the Senate after our bosses, so we just lose our jobs.

Quick, everyone! Find some good slimy, stinkin’ thing that your boss did and send it to your Senators demanding an investigation. That will show them all! Ha-ha-ha-ha (maniacal laugh)
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Side Rant

Isn’t “kerfuffle” a great word? (James Taranto at www.opinionjournal.com uses it a lot to describe just this type of bullcrap – like the Valerie Plame kerfuffle.)

The word connotes much ado about nothing, mountains out of molehills, tempests in teapots and so forth.

The word really works for this “scandal”, doesn’t it?

And now back to the show.
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Rant #2 – No Child Left Behind and other Education Boondoggles

The whole premise behind the No Child Left Behind education law that President Bush got passed and enacted is valid – to educate all the children in the US to grade level.

What a great idea! Let’s educate every child in America! Haven’t we been doing that, for free (at least that is what I pay taxes for) for a few years now – like over 200?

So, great concept. But the law of unintended consequences rears its ugly head. Several things about this law were not thought out very well – either by the people who wrote it, or the people in the various states who are implementing it (as I live in Texas and know what this state is doing, I will use it as an example).

All kids (like everyone) are not born equal. I know the US Constitution says they are – but that is in the eyes of the law, not in reality. Not all kids have the ability to do higher level math. Not all kids can write well. Not all kids will go to college.

You know what? Not all kids can even attend public schools and learn. Some kids are disabled or retarded or in some way incapable of benefiting from a public school education.

In Texas, ALL kids must be doing grade level work to have the school get money from the Feds under NCLB. In Texas, ALL kids are assumed to be capable of and aiming for college. That is just ridiculous. Not every kid is going to college. Not every kid wants to go to college. What ever happened to vocational classes like carpentry or auto shop? Someone has to be the plumbers, electricians, and mechanics. Why can’t a kid get a start on that kind of career in high school through vocational education? I know, I know, it makes sense, and since when did anything the government ever do make sense?

So, in Texas, ALL kids must take 4 years of math, science, English and history, and pass state-wide tests in all 4 areas in their Junior year to graduate from high school. Fail one of the standardized tests and – no graduation. Do well in all your course work (get all A's), pass 3 of the 4 state-wide tests with flying colors and – no graduation.

The state wide tests are created by a private company that has a huge contract with the state (and other states – it is Pearson Education, the same company that screwed up last year when grading SAT tests). The company has to prove its worth every year, so they change the tests. The company determines the content of each test based on what their high dollar consultants tell them – consultants who have no idea what goes on in a public school classroom anywhere, let alone in Texas. So, the tests have no correlation to what is actually being taught to the kids.

So, guess what the Texas school systems are doing so they get the federal and state money (don’t let anyone tell you its all about the kids - its all about the money). Yup, they are teaching to the test. They are also dumbing down the curricula for these classes because ALL the kids need to pass them, even the kids who have no hope of ever passing.
Remember taking geometry? Did you hate it with a passion? Did you forget as much of it as possible as soon as the last test was taken? Was it the last math course you took? Well, if this is you, join a rather large club that includes 85% (I made up that stat) of all adults in the US with a high school diploma. Revel in the fact that you are in that club, because it has gotten a lot different for kids today – at least if they live in Texas.

Texas high school students now have to take 4 years of math and science (and pass the state-wide tests) to graduate. For math, that means Algebra I, Geometry, Algebra II and . . what comes after Algebra II? Calculus? Are you kidding me? EVERY KID has to take calculus is he or she wants to graduate? Right now – Yes. I am sure there will be a change, and the 4th math course will be Balancing Your Checkbook I or something actually useful. One can only hope.

The upshot of all this is that since No Child Left Behind was passed, every state is reporting great results to the Feds to get their money, many kids are being left behind, many kids are not graduating (32,000 kids failed the Texas state-wide math test in 2006 – I did not make that stat up), many schools have changed what and how they teach to match the test, and cheating (if what happens in Texas is any indication) has increased dramatically, with the teachers helping the kids cheat!

Nice system, wouldn’t you say?

Global Warming? Not today . . . Wait a Minute

I was going to rant about global warming today, but I see some common sense has been injected into that arena – and by the New York Times of all places. They have actually been questioning Al Gore’s assertions that the world will end in about 10 minutes. So I decided not to rant about that, instead I read the paper this morning looking for good rant material. I found a great article that got my juices flowing, and now I can remember

That “consensus” among scientists about global warming that Mr. Al “Chicken Little” Gore has touted - how the ice sheets at the poles were going to be gone by next Tuesday and most of the developed world would be underwater, is not quite as all-encompassing as Al says it is.

Some scientists are questioning whether global warming even exists; what role man might play in any actual warming, etc. Interesting enough, we had what was called a “Climatic Optimum” back at the end of the Middle Ages – when temperatures were higher than today. The growing season in Europe was much longer, meaning people did not have to scramble as much to get food, which gave them time for other pursuits, which led to . . . everything in western civilization today. The Vikings were growing crops in Greenland for craps sake! Oh, and that is why it is called Greenland – when the Vikings landed there, it was GREEN! Not so today. Greenland today is thousands of feet of ice with a rim of bare land along the coasts.
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Side Rant!

It occurs to me that many people who live in and have the advantages of today’s western civilization don’t actually like it. Or feel guilty about it. Or something. The politically correct thing is to denigrate all aspects of our world and blame it on dead white guys (or on George Bush)

We – western civilization - are destroying the environment!! Actually, the worst environments are in the 3rd World, where they clear cut the rain forest, pollute the air and water, and generally don’t care the environment at all. I know, I know – those poor people are just trying to survive, and we should be helping them, so what they do to the environment is actually our fault (that would be you and me).

Question raised by the Side Rant – If the industrial nations are the 1st World, and all those undeveloped nations are the 3rd World, what is the 2nd World?

Back to the Main Rant
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So, Al Gore, who by the way, invented the Internet and just about ever other modern convenience, has had his environmental credentials questioned by the only arbiter of liberal values that matters – the New York Times. Even they are wondering just what kind if hypocrite has been spawned by the “stolen election” of 2000. (Just think – this man was almost the President!! If you think things are bad now, just imagine what Al would have done after 9/11. Al Qaeda would probably have a seat in his cabinet.)

The man is a hypocrite of the first water – which is why he lasted so long in Washington. He talks the talk of environmentalism (remember “Earth in the Balance”?), but walking the walk is way beyond his capabilities.

Carbon credits – what a crock! Those are just a way for “caring” individuals (rich liberals) to do whatever they want and not feel guilty.

So, I guess I did rant about global warming after all.

Tomorrow I promise something different – maybe the state of public education in America today.

Iraq – What did You Expect?

I took Sunday off – even a Master Ranter needs a day off once in a while.

Now, today’s rant is all about our War on Terrorism, or a better name – War on Islamic Fascism. That is what we are fighting. Some lunatic Muslims, with delusions of grandeur, have decided that everyone in the world needs to be Muslim or dead, and the Caliphate must rule everywhere. Osama Bin Laden is a megalomaniac using religion as a means to power. Osama, the Caliphate ended in the 16th Century, get over it. Nobody but the other nutcases you have co-opted and some illiterate peasants have bought into your delirium.
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Daily Side Rant

Have you noticed that the ignorant peasants are the ones who die – especially as suicide bombers? The “leaders” are always sending out these poor schmos to die for the greater good of Allah and become martyrs. If martyrdom is so great, why don’t the “leaders” of this “cause” put on the vest and take the trip?

The only time the “leaders” die is when someone (the US military) shines a light in one of their holes, and follows that with a 2000 lb JDAM.

OK, all done, back to the regular rant.
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Now, several pieces of “conventional wisdom” that bother me about the war, so I will get them off my chest.

Saddam was not directly involved in 9/11. Not totally proven, but even if true, SO WHAT?
He paid the families of suicide bombers $25,000 after the idiots blew themselves up. That is aiding and abetting terrorism by any definition.
One of the biggest terrorists of all time (before Osama became the ONLY terrorist anyone cares about), Abu Nidal, was living comfortably in Baghdad – before his untimely death (he died about 20 years too late.
The Iraq intelligence service met several times with several Al Queda buttheads over the years.

Iraq did not have WMDs, so Bush lied. Actually, the liar was Saddam. He had everyone convinced that he had ongoing biological and chemical weapons programs – HE USED CHEMICAL WEAPONS SEVERAL TIMES on his own citizens – and that he was working to get his nuclear weapons program reconstituted. If every intelligence services in every western country said he has these weapons, then what was President Bush supposed to do? Ignore all the evidence? I think ont

Iraq is not part of the War on Terror. This is the biggest load of crap I ever heard. Idiotic “jihadists” have been coming to Iraq for 4 years now, to get their licks in on the good old US of A. They get to go to Iraq, set off a roadside bomb or two, then get killed by our soldiers and Marines. Sound like a good deal to me. If the people who want all Americans dead did not have Iraq to go to to die for their God, they would find more nefarious ways to do so –like blowing themselves up in the mall down the street from your house. Which do you prefer?

Iraq is a quagmire, like Vietnam. Well, when 10 years have gone by with no victory, or signs of any, and over 50,000 brave soldiers, sailors, airmen and marines have died, then talk about a quagmire.
When the government micro-manages the war to the extent that the enemy knows exactly what routes the bombers will take, exactly what targets are OK to bomb, and which will be spared, then talk about a quagmire. (Oops, this is exactly what Congress is trying to do now)

Non-Binding Resolutions against the war. Save me from all these caring politicians. If you are in Congress and are against the war, then legislate to do the only thing you can to stop it – cut off funding. But, spare me the mealy mouthed non-binding resolutions. “We are against the war, but we support the troops.” What crap. “Soldiers, we think you are great, except that we do not support your mission (mostly because we hate Bush so much nothing else matters), nor do we support your leaders (we got rid of Rumsfeld and Bush is next). We think what you are doing in Iraq is wrong, but we think you are the best!”

No mixed message there.

So, a last thought. NO ONE wants war. I guarantee the most rapid anti-war people you will ever meet are in the military (after all they are the ones who fight and get hurt or worse). Give me an alternative. Let the Islamists win? Let the darkness that is radical Islam take over a major part of the world? Look what is happening in Europe. They left the gates open in the name of cheap labor and a laisse faire attitude, and they now have a huge Muslim problem – large percentages of their populations are Muslim immigrants with no desire to assimilate. These largely young, mostly unemployed people are ripe for radicalization, and the imams are making inroads.. If they are not careful, the Muslims will get their Caliphate started in western Europe with very few shots fired. Better the fight them somewhere else than here.

Subprime Mortgage Holders get Bailed Out? I think NOT!

I was scanning the morning paper today (Dallas Morning News) and found an article in the business section called "Defaults stirring debate."

The gist of this article is that many "Activists" (read Busy Bodies) want the government to step in and help the poor downtrodden folks who took out subprime adjustable rate mortgages a few years ago. Those loans are now starting to adjust, and people cannot afford the higher payments, so many home are being foreclosed upon and the home owners thrown out. And of course, the leading Democrat presidential hopefuls and jumping on this band wagon and blaming it all on President Bush.
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A Side Rant:

Have you noticed that EVERYTHING that happens in the world these days is ultimately George Bush's fault? That is one amazing man - he is capable of controlling the weather (Hurricane Katrina & global warming are his fault), every despot & madman in the world (Iraq, N. Korea, Iran and Afghanistan are his fault) and just about everything else. Wow – and we elected him President? What were we thinking??

Now back to today's regular rant.
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For those of you who don't know, a subprime mortgage is the kind that people get if they have bad credit. It has higher interest rates than "A paper" or "normal" mortgages.

And, an adjustable rate mortgage is one that has one (lower) interest rate guaranteed for a short time (for from 1 to 10 years), and which after that guarantee period "Adjusts" to a different rate (the new rate depends on the type of loan and the market rates, but is usually higher).

So, these days, many people with crappy credit who bought homes a few years ago are now getting hit with interest rate adjustments that make the house payment too much for their budget. Many of these home owners are having those homes foreclosed upon.

And the government should bail them out???

No freakin’ way! Has anyone ever heard of PERSONAL RESPONSIBILITY?? You know – actually acknowledge your own mistakes and fix things yourself?

Nope, didn’t think so. Not anymore. Not in this country.

ALL of the people who took out subprime loans knew their credit stunk – their lender told them if they didn’t know it before. And, any respectable lender told them this:

“I can get you into the house you want, but the interest rate will be high because of your credit situation. The lowest rate I can get you is __%, and this is on an adjustable mortgage. This rate will be good for __ years, and after that it will go higher. This gives you __ years to clean up your credit. Once your credit is better, you can refinance your mortgage into a better loan with a lower rate. But, you have to clean up our credit first.”

Yes, there are predatory lenders out there who take advantage of uneducated borrowers and give them bad loans, or loans that the borrower really cannot afford. There are way too many predatory lenders, and they need to be caught and punished. But, guess what? The Feds are after these people and are prosecuting them.

And, look at it this way. If a mortgage bank lends money to people who default on the loan, the mortgage bank LOSES money. They do not get the loan payments, they do not get the servicing charges, and they now have a house for which they have paid, but for which they are NOT getting a return on their investment. Do this too much, and the bank goes out of business.

Notice in the news lately all the stories about subprime lenders going out of business? Hell, the stock market drops lately have been blamed, at least in part, on these companies going belly-up. This is what happens in the capitalist marketplace when a business is run poorly. It stops running at all.

So, don’t blame the banks for stupid loans – they will get theirs in the end. You can blame unscrupulous Mortgage Brokers for taking advantage of the poor, poor consumer who does not know better.

Again, for those who don’t know, a Mortgage Broker shops your loan to many mortgage lenders to find you the deal you accept. A Mortgage Banker lends you money directly from his company. The Broker charges you a fee for finding you the loan to accept – and sometimes the fees are outrageous. Unscrupulous Brokers will certainly take advantage of you if they can. Yeah, yeah, the Mortgage Banker can take advantage of you too, but typically the Banker is under many more restrictions that limit his ability to rip you off.

BUT!!! Ultimately, it is the consumer who needs to look out for him or her self. Caveat Emptor (Buyer Beware) is really true. TAKE RESPONSIBILITY FOR YOUR OWN ACTIONS – no one else is responsible but YOU.

No one forced people with lousy credit to get lousy credit.
No one forced them to spend too much on credit cards and fail to pay the bills, or to run out on debts.
No one held them down and forced them to spend beyond their limits.
No one made them buy a house they cannot afford, or to spend more than they make.

I know there are some people who get in financial trouble through no fault of their own, but they are the exception. Most people with crappy credit did it to themselves, and have no one to blame but themselves.

And the government has no call to bail these people out. If the people who got the subprime loans originally did not make the effort to clean up their credit and financial situation when they had the chance, then so be it. To mangle another cliché – they made their beds, and now they can move the beds along with all their other stuff out of the houses they no longer own.

And, Hillary Clinton & Christopher Dodd – stay out of it. It is not your business and pandering to the people who lost their homes this way will not garner you any more votes. The nosy jerks (activists) who want the government to step in are already going to vote for you anyway.